dreadedmonkeygod . net

The woman from Sallie Mae, my loan servicing company (well, one of them) was concerned. "Well, you're three months overdue," she said.

"I know," I said. "What's the total due?"

"Well, it's built up for three months, so it's quite a bit."

"Give it to me straight, Doc. How much do I owe?"

She took a breath. "Ninety-four dollars."

I laughed out loud. "Can I pay right now over the phone?" I asked.

She was surprised. "Well..."

"And can I pay for three months in advance, so I know I'm safe for a while?"

Now she was confused. I explained to her that cash flow wasn't the problem; I was just forgetful.

She switched into Mom Mode.

"Do you pay rent by check?" she asked.

"Yes..." I answered, unsure where this was going.

"Well, just leave your checkbook and the coupon book in the same place, and that way every time you go to pay the rent, you'll remember to pay your student loans at the same time. See?"

I did indeed. She had children of her own, and they no doubt had never missed a student loan payment. But they were not artists, or programmers, or mathematicians. She hadn't the first clue what it's like to deal with creative people. We're just wired differently, and there's not a damn thing we can do to change that.

I tried to explain. "Well, you see, I'm just forgetful. Can I just pay six months at once over the phone right now?"

"Well, no," she replied. "We need you to fill out the coupon and send it in with your check."

I persisted. "Can we set up a regular direct debit so that it all happens automatically?"

"I'm sorry, no. We aren't set up for that."

And that right there is the problem. I'm a right-brainer. For me, organization is an all-or-nothing proposition. So I can't just put everything in one place and remember to pay the bill. I have to get all-the-way organized. I must use a system so organized that it is tollerant of my forgetfulness.

Sallie Mae wasn't ready to do that. No pay-by-phone. No automatic debit. And they required that I send in a little "coupon" with each payment, so I couldn't use my bank's automatic bill pay system, which is perfectly capable of mailing out a paper check, but which is certainly not equipped to handle anything as archaic as filling out little coupons by hand. Sallie Mae had locked themselves out of the 21^st century, so all the tools that exist to actually solve the problem of my fogetfulness were forbidden to me. I had to muddle along, leaving post-its on my computer screen and refrigerator, and sending email to myself:

#crontab for craser 0 0 20 * * echo "Pay Sallie Mae!" | mail craser 0 0 1 * * echo "Pay the rent!" | mail craser

Which is strangely typical. I've often met resistance from the people who wanted me to "get it together" in the first place. They think I'm going overboard. I can't win, and I've stopped trying. I just do what works for me.

The book Organizing for the Creative Person is great for two things: helping creative types like me (so-called "right-brainers") get organized, and helping the non-creative types ("left-brainers") understand why we have such a hard time doing so. Really, the difference is basic: "Left-brainers" hate spending time searching through a disorganized stack of papers, as it's a waste of time. "Right-brainers" hate spending time maintaining an organized file cabinet, because it's boring. (I have yet to hear of any study on which is actually faster. Scientists seem to assume that being "organized" is the way to go.)

So, to you right-brainers out there: you are not alone, and you are not wierd. But I'm also here to tell you that creating systems to help your day-to-day life will make you happier. Find things that work for you, and don't let other's put you off a system that works. You may find that the left-brainers in your life won't like any system you have. They don't like you being disorganized, and they don't like whatever system you come up with. That's fine. The system only has to work for you.

And to you left-brainers out there with right-brainers in your lives: you can try to help, but ultimately everyone has to find a way that works for them. It may look like a mess to you, or it may seem like the work of an obsessive-compulsive. More likely, it'll make no sense at all. But it's something you have to respect. Stay out of the way, and judge it by the results, not the method.